


Sing a Sad Song Just to Turn it Around

by summersocietyy



Series: vienna. [5]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, parker has a bad day and spencer makes her feel better :(, that's all this is is just mindless fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:47:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26709229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/summersocietyy/pseuds/summersocietyy
Summary: There are days when it feels like the whole world is against you.
Relationships: Spencer Reid/Original Female Character(s)
Series: vienna. [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1727104
Comments: 1
Kudos: 17





	Sing a Sad Song Just to Turn it Around

_ When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on. - Franklin Delano Roosevelt _

_ September 15, 2010 _

There are days when it feels like the whole world is against you. Spencer thinks he knows that better than anyone, but as Parker comes into the apartment from her day out with Emily and the girls, soaked from the rain and glaring, he thinks that she might know better than he does.

“Hi.” He says, standing from his desk. Parker stands where she is for a moment, dripping onto the floor before she bursts into tears. Sputtering, Spencer hurries around the desk and takes Parker by the shoulders, guiding her away from the door gently. He pulls her wet sweater from her shoulders as she stands in front of him, and hooks a finger under her chin to tip her head up. “What happened?”

“Everything _ sucks _ !” She sobs, burying her face in her hands. Raising a brow, Spencer draws Parker into his arms, resting his chin to her head and frowning when she pushes at his chest. “Don’t hug me, I’ll get you all wet.” She says miserably. Spencer nods and tucks a lock of hair behind Parker’s ear, tipping his head down to catch her gaze.

“Why don’t you go take a shower?” He suggests gently, offering a small smile when she looks up at him through her tears. “Get out of your wet clothes and warm up. I’ll make you some tea and order dinner, okay?”

“Can we have pizza?” She mumbles. Spencer smiles gently and nods, kissing Parker’s forehead once before sending her on her way to the bathroom. He listens for a moment as she starts the shower, then exhales and turns to call their usual pizza place and make their usual order. After that’s done and the teakettle is on the stove, he knocks twice at the bathroom door, poking his head in after a moment.

“Hey, I’m gonna take your wet stuff and throw it in the wash, okay?” He says over the rush of the water. He hears a mumbled assent and scoops the offending outfit off the floor. He tosses it into the washer and takes a few minutes gathering some sweats and his CalTech sweatshirt. Knocking at the bathroom door again, he pokes his head in and puts the dry things on the counter, hovering in the doorway for a moment. He can see Parker’s silhouette sitting on the floor of the shower, her legs pulled to her chest, her face buried in her knees. He can hear little hiccuping sobs coming from her now and then, and he wants nothing more than to pull her into him and protect her from the rest of the world. 

But he knows Parker, he knows her independence and her way of dealing with things and to give her the time she needs, so he slips back out of the bathroom, shutting the door quietly behind himself and taking a while to clean up the things on his desk. Eventually, he hears the water turn off and he goes to start the teakettle, flicking the stove on and padding back out to perch on the couch. 

When Parker finally shuffles out of the bathroom, the teakettle is just finishing whistling in the kitchen and Spencer is coming back into the living room with two steaming mugs. Parker hovers in the doorway for a minute as Spencer settles on the couch, and he looks up, offering the gentlest of smiles and opening his arms. She still looks miserable, he notes, but she at least looks a little more comfortable. She pads over to the couch, his CalTech sweatshirt dwarfing her thin frame, and settles beside him, tucking herself into his chest as he settles his arms around her. He can feel her relaxing into him slowly, and he presses a kiss to the crown of her head, brushing his fingers through her hair slowly, delicately untangling any knots he comes across. 

“D’you wanna talk about it?” He asks softly. Parker sniffles and fiddles with the strings of the sweatshirt before rubbing at her nose lightly. Spencer stays quiet, waiting patiently for Parker to speak as he plays with her hair.

“I couldn’t sleep last night.” She says eventually, her voice almost too quiet to hear. Spencer furrows his brow, but keeps quiet. “I kept having nightmares and when I finally felt like I was over them, I’d have another. Plus, I couldn’t get comfortable. So I was grumpy today ‘cause I was tired, and I snapped at Penelope and she’s too nice for her own good, Spencer!  _ I _ snapped at  _ her _ and she asked me if I was okay!”

He suppresses a quiet chuckle, because Parker is absolutely right - Penelope Garcia is too nice for her own good, and he doesn’t know what they did at the BAU to deserve her.

“And then  _ she _ bought  _ me _ coffee!” Parker continues, “And - and some jackass catcalled at all of us which was shitty in its own way. And then while we were at dinner someone a few tables over started reciting something from  _ Hamlet _ and I had a panic attack, and the waiter spilled water all over me, and then it started  _ pouring _ on the way home and some asshole ran through a puddle and soaked me. And as soon as I got inside I got an email from my GED teacher and I read it in the elevator and I  _ failed my math test _ and-”

And she bursts into tears again.

Spencer’s heart aches for her, and he hugs her to him tightly, resting his cheek to her hair while she buries her face in his chest and cries. There have been several days since Parker’s been home that she’s felt overwhelmed, but they haven’t led to actual tears until now. It’s mostly been panic attacks, and they’ve had an easy enough time dealing with those. 

“Hey, hey, it’s okay.” He says after a while, his voice soft and gentle. Parker sniffles, her tears slowly subsiding, and shifts to rest her cheek to his chest. He kisses her hair and rubs her back in big, slow circles, and she can feel herself relaxing little by little. “Crummy days happen. They always will. Those ones where it feels like the universe is out to get you and everything goes wrong are the worst.” Parker sniffles again and nods, rubbing at her eyes roughly as Spencer continues. “But you’re not alone, Sunshine. You don’t have to deal with any of it alone. I’m here. I’ll always be here.”

Parker nods again and sighs unsteadily, glancing up and offering a small, tired smile. Spencer returns it with a gentle smile of his own and kisses her forehead gently.

“How ‘bout this? The pizza’s gonna be here any minute. Why don’t we have a movie night, yeah? Just stay here and watch as many as we want?” He offers. Parker hums, straightening up when they hear a knock at the door. Spencer squeezes her shoulder gently and grabs his wallet, greeting the kid with their pizza with a small smile. He gives the kid a decent tip and takes the box, padding back over to the couch. He sets the pizza on the table and flicks open the box, then moves to the TV and pokes around for a moment before popping in a DVD. As he settles beside Parker again, the opening scene of  _ The Princess Bride _ lights up the screen, and a small smile touches at Parker’s lips - one that reaches her eyes this time.

“Hey.” She says twenty minutes into the movie. The pizza is half gone and Parker is curled up against Spencer’s side as he brushes his fingers along her arm slowly. He hums in response, glancing down at her. “‘S the first time you’ve called me Sunshine since I’ve been home.”

Spencer blinks, surprised both at her observation and that he’d said it at all - he hadn’t intended to, it had just slipped out. He’d started calling her Sunshine when they were thirteen and fourteen respectively; it just seemed to fit. She was his ray of sunshine.

“I missed it.” Parker finishes quietly. Spencer glances down at her, hugging her closer when she smiles up at him. They turn back to the movie, and by the time the end credits are rolling, Spencer is on his back, Parker tucked between him and the back of the couch with her head on his chest, both of them sound asleep.

_ Promise me you’ll always remember: you’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. - A.A. Milne _

**Author's Note:**

> this one was inspired by bad day by daniel powter!! one of my favorite songs and it just felt Right for this drabble!


End file.
